2 hit out at Anwar aide over ‘election night drama’

Umno information chief Azalina Othman Said says Shamsul Iskandar Akin should not confuse the people, while Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid thinks he is ‘hallucinating’.

(FMT) – Two Umno leaders have hit out at Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s aide, Shamsul Iskandar Akin, after he revealed that he had decided against pushing for a recount in Bagan Datuk in the last general election on the PKR president’s orders.

Umno information chief Azalina Othman Said said experienced politicians like Shamsul should be more responsible when talking about election results to preserve “political integrity”.

She said Shamsul should be magnanimous in defeat and should have raised his objections with the Election Commission.

Azalina said Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who defended his Bagan Datuk parliamentary seat by a close margin, and Barisan Nasional would have accepted the voters’ decision.

“He (Shamsul) should focus on political stability and avoid making statements that could create confusion and lead to speculation which could result in the public doubting the democratic system,” she said in a Facebook post.

Shamsul, who is Anwar’s senior political secretary and one of three challengers to Zahid in Bagan Datuk in the 2022 general election, said yesterday he had intended to call for a recount as he was behind by only 348 votes, with 800 spoilt votes.

But he was persuaded by a 2.30am phone call from Anwar not to proceed as he was told BN had agreed to join forces with Pakatan Harapan to form a government.

He said he conceded to Anwar as it was “the general’s orders” but admitted to feeling saddened having gone all out to wrest Bagan Datuk from Zahid’s grip after six terms as MP.

The elections resulted in a hung Parliament as no single party among PH, BN and Perikatan Nasional obtained the simple majority of 112 seats needed to form a government.

Zahid stated on Nov 23 that he was informed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in an audience at Istana Negara that afternoon, that BN must be part of a unity government to be formed.

Meanwhile, Zahid’s daughter, Nurulhidayah, was more scathing in her remarks.

Nurulhidayah, who is also a Wanita Umno exco member, said Shamsul’s “hallucination” was a result of him being a know-it-all and perceiving himself to be a “hero”.

“Are you saying that you made a sacrifice to join forces?” she said in an Instagram post, referring to the two coalitions, BN and PH.

She said BN and PKR can now demand the EC to investigate Shamsul’s claim and sue him for his “stupid” statement.